If you've ever listened to the radio in the car before or even watched TV at certain points, you'll have heard of this jingle. It goes:
"1-8-7-7 Kars for Kids / K-A-R-S, Kars for Kids / Donate your car today." And if you're anything like me, that jingle may or may not have got stuck in your head once or twice, even if it's quite annoying.
But its parent company has been in some hot water recently. California has entirely banned the jingle, according to the New York Post. And no, not because it's annoying—there's a much more serious reason behind it.
Given the name of the campaign—Kars 4 Kids, where people were told to donate their old cars to support children in need, you'd expect the money to go to any child that needs it... right? Well, that isn't the case. In fact, it's the exact reason why the litigation to ban it began in the first place.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Gassia Apkarian found that they had committed false advertising. That's because, contrary to what you'd expect, the kids that the funding goes to are Orthodox Jewish.
Of course, that's not an issue in itself. It's when the company claims it goes to kids in need without specifying it's only going to certain children.
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Kars 4 Kids Were Sued by a Disgruntled Donator
The parent company, Oorah Inc., a New York and New Jersey-based organization, was sued by California resident Bruce Puterbaugh.
After he generated an estimated $250, he was surprised to learn that not only does the money not necessarily go to kids in need, it doesn't even go to children in California.
Esti Landau, the COO of Kars 4 Kids, explained that the organization only does a "backpack drive" for kids. This is in spite of the fact that almost 25% of the funds raised for the charity come from the Golden State.
The money instead goes to Jewish outreach programs, almost entirely within the New York and New Jersey area.
While the legality of this entire situation is very dubious, one thing remains clear. I'm just glad I won't be hearing the jingle as often anymore!
